Exercises during pregnancy are recommended to perform under an expert’s guidance or in consultation with a doctor. Celebrity yoga trainer Payal Gidwani Tiwari, who has trained yoga to actors like Sridevi and Malaika Arora during pregnancy, highlighted the benefits and precautions of it in a recent interview.

Yoga’s magical effects are known worldwide and Yoga expert Gidwani was best friends with it even during her pregnancy days. She recalled, “Yoga helped me from day one, both physically and mentally. You don’t want to run a marathon without any preparation. Then why would you go into labour without preparing for it? Yoga can be beneficial during pregnancy, as long as you take certain precautions. It helps you breathe and relax, which in turn can help you adjust to the physical demands of pregnancy, labour, childbirth, and motherhood.“

She added, “It calms both mind and body, providing the physical and emotional stress relief your body needs. The physical poses also build stamina and improve circulation. I went through a 20-hour labour and then a C-Section as the baby had breached. But I know that my yoga gave me the patience and strength to get past the ordeal and enjoy my most precious experience: my baby’s birth.“

The asanas practiced during pregnancy need to be performed with utmost care, supervision, and consultation. As every person’s body is unique, the asana recommendations can vary.

Gidwani recommends some generic asanas for pregnant women though. “Some of the recommended asanas for the first trimester are kati chakrasana or crocodile series (six variations), sukhasana and yoga nidra that help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and control anxiety. For the second trimester, the side leg kick, forward leg kick and backward leg kick and saral santolasana control fluid retention and cramping. For the third trimester, virabhadrasana, calf stretch and supported squat improve blood circulation to calves, reduce pain and swelling, and ease out pressure on lower abdomen during labour.“

Gidwani has also suggested some yoga asanas in her recently launched book – Own the Bump: A Complete Guide on Yoga for Pregnancy, which will “help fine-tune your connection with your partner.”

She also shared that stars like Sridevi and Malaika Arora Khan followed “a holistic lifestyle during their pregnancy. This ensured better sleep, improved circulation, less stress, and easier labour and delivery.“